Is Colombia Safe for Women? Crime Rate in Colombia
Safety rating
Women living in Colombia consider the safety level to be moderate, with an overall safety rating of 3.1 out of 5.
Crime rating
Women living in Colombia consider the crime rate to be moderate, with an overall crime rating of 2.8 out of 5.
Violence rating
On average 12.3% percentage of women in Colombia have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner at some time in their life, according to OECD Data.
Travel and Meet new People
Get the Travel Ladies app to meet new people, find travel buddies and stay with local women for free through hospitality exchange.
Crime & Safety Statistics
Based on 22 experiences
Safety rating: | 3.1/5 | Moderate |
Safety walking alone after dark: | 2.1/5 | Unsafe |
Safety using public transport: | 3.1/5 | Moderate |
Crime rate: | 2.8/5 | Moderate |
Worries of being sexually harassed: | 2.7/5 | Moderate |
Worries of being sexually assaulted or raped: | 2.1/5 | A Bit Worried |
Worries of being physically attacked: | 2.1/5 | A Bit Worried |
Worries of home broken and things stolen: | 2/5 | A Bit Worried |
Worries of being mugged or robbed: | 3/5 | Moderate |
Worries of being kidnapped or murdered: | 2/5 | A Bit Worried |
Is Colombia safe for women?
Mile
Bogotá
Bogotá is a very big city with millions of people. There are nice restaurants to go and enjoy Colombian food. There are also nice places to visit like Monserrate, La candelaria, and Usaquen. Come and visit people in general are friendly and helpful with tourists.
Posted: October 18, 2024Armenia
In Colombia, one of the safest cities, people can be seen using their phones everywhere and I don’t recall that feeling of having to hide it. The city is very chill and calm. While crime is low, you can get cat called in the streets but at a lower rate than other cities in Colombia. To call out: there is a higher presense of homeless people in Armenia vs other cities, most are not even from here and come -from documentaries that I’ve seen- due to nice weather and to the generous people in the city, while it is not confortable and they might be consuming drugs, they are usually harmless, they don’t mess with other people or ask for money aggressively
Posted: October 4, 2024Medellín
Medellin is mostly a safe city, just as any other city you should be aware of your surroundings, preferably don’t walk alone after dark, and avoid some parts like downtown, the best way to get around is the metro and public buses, there’s uber and other transportation apps. If you like night life el poblado and la 10 (10 street) are the best and most touristic places to go but you should be specially aware in this area because of people trying to take advantage from crowded areas and foreigners. Other than that I feel pretty safe during the day, there’s a lot of places to visit like museums, theaters, parks and shopping malls :) There are also little towns near Medellin you can visit by bus and are not expensive, some are Guatape, Jardin, San Rafael (beautiful rivers) and Santafe de Antioquia. Feel safe to ask for directions or anything you might need, Colombians are very friendly and always willing to help, some of us speak english too :)
Posted: September 10, 2024Barranquilla
Barranquilla is a great place, the people are nice and very happy, you can dance and the food is amazing. Sadly the insecurity is real and the people mostly women feel unprotected. You need to be careful where you go, and always takes uber or indriver, and give this inform to someone close to you.
Posted: August 15, 2024Colombia
Colombia is not a safe country. But neither is any country in Latin America. You must keep an eye on your stuff. Make sure to go to places that are on the inside and not on the outside to avoid get easily mugged
Posted: August 9, 2024
Clara
Ibague
Ibagué is a not a big city thats why is kind of safe than bigger cities. I live in a good neighborhood so is very safe inside, I do recomend to use transportation apps like uber because public transportation is always full of people so is no confortable. Take care walking on dark and lonely streets, just for common sense.
Posted: July 14, 2024Medellín
Medellin is safe in general but like every Latin American city you have to be careful where are you going, some neighborhoods like laureles, el poblado, Simón bolivar etc are safer while other neighborhoods don’t go if you aren’t a local, like Manrique, Castilla etc. Always be careful with your belongings, if you are traveling alone don’t say that to people and it’s better if you know some Spanish to get around. The city is safe in general but there are more tourists in the last few years which can attract people trying to get money from them
Posted: July 11, 2024
Alejandra
Medellín
Been living here half of my life and I have never been robbed. Guided tourists here that enjoy and end up falling in love with the city and the food, the nature and the landscape, especially in el poblado that is to the hills
Posted: July 3, 2024Medellín
As a local, I believe Medellín is going through some bigs changes as we adapt to taking in more tourists. Some neighborhoods are pretty much safe, others not so much. As a general recommendation, try not to walk with your phone, headphones, smart watches and similar electronics on full display, as robbery and pickpockets are still fairly common.
Posted: June 23, 2024Bogotá
It's a nice city when you know how to move around. If you're new, try to stick to locals you can trust. They will tell you where to go, when and how. It's very common to see tourists being careless. That's not gonna help anyone.
Posted: June 18, 2024Is Colombia worth visiting?
Travel rating
based on 79 experiences from female travelers
Maira
Germany
Minca, Solo travel
I stayed at a friends home and in a female dorm (4 people) for 13 € a night, delicious breakfast included, humming birds greeting you in the morning. With a Pool. 5 min for 1€ with the motorbike down to the village, also possible 30 min by walk. View to the djungle. Coffee and Cocoa tours and small waterfalls. Lovely Hippie village !
Posted: October 4, 2024Medellín, Family travel
Had a beautiful time in Medellin! Mind you if you’re coming from the states, $1 is about $4000 colombian pesos so money does go far! Stayed in a Marriott hotel in Sabaneta. So many different things to do, enjoyed my special bonding time with my little family. Definitely recommend!
Posted: September 30, 2024Experienced: August, 2024Meet locals in Colombia
Charlotte
About Me
Hello ! I’m Charlotte, from France, and would be volunteering in Medellin at the end of the year and want to meet people there 🫶
Speaking
Mile
About Me
I am from Colombia, South America. I like to travel and make new friends.
Speaking
Safety in Colombia
Frequently asked questions
Is Colombia safe?
Is Colombia safe to walk alone at night?
Is public transport safe in Colombia?
What is the crime rate in Colombia?
What is the risk of being sexually harassed in Colombia?
What is the risk of being sexually assaulted or raped in Colombia?
What is the risk of being physically attacked in Colombia?
What is the risk of burglary in Colombia?
What is the risk of being mugged or robbed in Colombia?
What is the risk of being kidnapped or murdered in Colombia?
